The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

OPINION: ALLEGED ELECTION DISHONESTY FROM SATIRE PUBLICATION’S EDITOR – SHOULD CSUSM HAVE EXPECTED THIS?

FREDRICK MISLEH
STAFF WRITER

When the news broke over Spring Break that alleged election fraud occurred in the ASI elections, I was pretty shocked. I thought to myself, “How could those running be that corrupt?” Then I heard it was Matt Weaver, an editor of The Koala, a satire publication that has recently gone quiet on the CSUSM campus. To me, that explained everything.

No one should be shocked by Weaver’s actions. His publication, The Koala, is barely tolerated by the administration as an expression of our constitutional rights to free speech and free press, even if the publication lists ten steps to commit rape and not get caught. Weaver’s involvement with the publication is an indicator of his character: foolish, arrogant, and corrupt.

Weaver wanted to be ASI president, but he felt the rules didn’t apply to him; maybe no one had ever held him accountable to social rules we all essentially follow. No one told him issues like rape and drug abuse are not acceptable to joke about, nor did anyone tell him unlawful access to a computer/ database, identity theft and election fraud (the three charges Weaver was indicted for) were not only illegal and would land him in jail but also were socially irresponsible and publicly embarrassing.

In one sense, however, the student body is lucky Weaver was never told he couldn’t rig elections; now we don’t run the risk of Weaver’s disruptive behavior representing CSUSM beyond the pages of The Koala.

In an opinion piece by Fredrick Misleh published in the April 3 edition, some information about student Matt Weaver, who was arrested on suspicion of identity theft and election fraud March 15, was incorrect. Weaver has yet to be indicted on these charges, and both his actions, and his depiction as corrupt, should have been described as alleged. We apologize.

Photo provided by Kit-Bacon Gressitt

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